US climate envoy says planning summit with China on methane, polluting gases

BEIJING - US climate envoy John Podesta said Friday that plans are being made for a summit with China on reducing emissions of methane and other highly polluting non CO2 gasses, following talks with his counterpart Liu Zhenmin and foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

Describing the discussions as "excellent" while acknowledging "some differences", Podesta said the two sides had "made plans to hold a summit on non-CO2 gas -- methane, N2O, hydrofluorocarbons".

"They get less attention but they're fully half of what's causing global warming," he said.

China is the world's top emitter of climate change-inducing greenhouse gases, including methane, followed by the United States.

Climate talks often revolve around reducing the most dangerous greenhouse gas, CO2. But methane -- which is particularly potent but relatively short-lived -- is a key target for countries wanting to slash emissions quickly and slow climate change.

That is because large amounts of methane simply leak into the atmosphere from oil and gas projects.

Methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry have risen for three consecutive years, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), hitting near-record highs in 2023.

The United States has previously expressed intentions to hold a summit with China on these types of gases at the upcoming United Nations COP29 climate summit hosted by Azerbaijan in November.